E-Cigarette Explodes, Burns Man’s Crotch Area, Legs

A British man was left with severe burns in his crotch area after an e-cigarette exploded in the pocket of his trousers.

Darren Wilson, 37, from DD Wilson, England, said the vaping device was not plugged in and was not in use when it suddenly burst into flames. The burns sustained by Wilson due to the malfunctioning device, was made worse by acid seeping from the device's battery.

"I have been refurbishing my house. I was stood by the kitchen door and next thing I thought someone had thrown a firework into the doorway,” he said, Mirror Online reported. “I looked down and my pocket was going off like a banger; it was fizzing and sparking and all smoke was coming from it.”

There was a possibility the explosion was the fault of the replacement batteries Wilson had recently put in the vaping device and not the e-cigarette. In photos from the aftermath of the incident, obtained by British outlet Liverpool Echo, a huge hole was seen in the left side of Wilson’s yellow-colored pants, bordered by burn marks. Another picture showed the Wilson sporting angry, red burns near his crotch and along his left leg.

Warning: This photo might seem disturbing to some readers:

"I was wearing my work pants and tried to get it out, but it burnt through and burnt all my b------s and my left leg. I can't walk, I need morphine every time I go to have a shower or wash and clean. They need to re-dress it every eight hours,” he added.

Wilson’s colleagues, who were helping him redecorate his house, drove him to the Aintree Hospital. "It was like my legs were melting, burning and melting, all the way to the hospital."

On Sunday, Wilson said he might have to stay in medical facility for another fortnight. Doctors had to peel off skin from his back and graft into the burnt areas. After receiving initial treatment, Wilson was transferred to a major burns unit in Whiston Hospital.

Wilson, who had taken up the habit of smoking for the last six months, said he never thought e-cigarettes would turn out to be harmful to his health.

“I have been trying to get healthy for the last six months since giving up smoking, and I have actually lost two and a half stone. I started using e-cigs thinking it would be better for me, more fool me,” he said.

Claire Mulhearn, Wilson’s partner said: "I just said to him, you're a gas engineer, you've never had any problems or burns, and you get blown up by an e-cig."

In the wake of an increasing number of fires caused due to exploding e-cigarettes, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service issued a set of precautionary measures to people who vape.

"Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service has attended a number of fires involving e-cigarettes while they were charging. Each fire has been thoroughly investigated in order to understand the reasons which led to the fire in the first instance and in order to limit the chance of fires involving electrical items happening again,” the department said in a statement.

The advices issued by the fire department included ensuring all electrical appliances had the safety mark before purchasing, not leaving vapers charging over night or unattended for a long period, not mixing parts from different e-cigarettes, using original charger for the device in question, purchasing the device from reputable sources and ensuring that one’s smoke alarms worked at all times.